Plastics Waste Recycling for Sustainable Development

Plastics Waste Recycling for Sustainable Development:

Material Development attributed to “AGES”.

1. Development of innovative materials either

Plastics or Non-Plastics - Fundamental aspects of Modern civilization.

2. Played crucil rolle in social cultural and

technological growth of the mankind all over the world.

3. Historical periods of our society attributed to the dominance of the particular material in a

particular period, stone age, bronze age, iron age, steel age, silicon, silica age.

4. Today it would not be exaggerated if we ascribe that we live in a “Plastics age".

Plastics applications - Historical Background

1. Use of natural polymers in 35,000 BC.

2. Shellac in Indian turnery as hot wood, varnish or a binder.

3. Natural polymer - bitumen sealants for water proofing in the ancient cities.

4. In 1868 - first first commercial plastics plastics, Celluloid developed in USA.

Chronological Development of Polymers

Phenol Formaldehyde                     1909

Cellulose acetate, UF, Nylon           1920

PVC                                                    1927

PS                                                       1930

LDPE                                                  1939

ABS                                                    1953

HDPE                                                 1954

PP                                                      1956

LLDPE                                                1976

TPO                                                    1991

During second world war in 1940s witnessed

application growth of plastics.

Major Thermoplastics Polymers

• Polyethylene

• Polypropylene

• Polystyrene

• Polyvinyl Chloride

• ABS/SAN

• Styrene Butadiene Latexes

• Polycarbonates

• PET

• Nylon

• Engineering Thermoplastics

Major Plastics Processing Techniques

• Injection Moulding               • Compounding

• Blow Moulding                     • Calendering

• Extrusion                               • Compression moulding

• Fibre                                      • Rotomolding

• Film                                       • Other processes

• Sheet and Thermoforming

• Profile

• Pipe

• Cable

 

Polyethylene Supply Chain

Polypropylene Supply Chain

Polystyrene Supply Chain

Application spectrum of Plastics:

Sector-wise Plastics Material Consumption:

END USE                    Indian Market           Percent of 

                                      (in Million)                         Total Market

Flexible/rigid packaging including woven

sacks and multi-filament.                  1.26                 30%

Agriculture (plasticulture)                  0.97                 23%

Electrical & Electronic applications.  0.59                14%

House-hold food wear and Furniture 0.38                 9%

Building construction                           0.25               6%

Telecommunication Information Tech. 0.25             6% 

Automotive                                           0.08                 2%

Health & Medicare                               0.08                 2%

Toys and Sports                                  0.08.                 2%

Others                                                   0.25                 6%

Plastics Realities vis-à-vis environment

To adopt strategy of “5 R’s” -

⌦ Reduce for source reduction,.

⌦ Re-use for multiple use of products.(e.g. 5 

gallon polycarbonate mineral water bottle).

⌦ Recycle for value added products.

⌦ Recovery for feedstock and energy generation

⌦ Recovery for feedstock and energy generation has to be realised in practical sense to deal with the Plastics Waste Management/

environmental issues in the country.

⌦ Repair of plastics products for damage.

Why Plastics Waste Recycling ?

• Clean Environment

• Employment opportunities

• Economical Products

• Manufacturing of numerous recycled products which substitute conventional materials for cost effectiveness. viz. Synthetic wood, garden furniture, pallets, fencing post, etc.

• Business opportunities

Market demands sorting by Types of Plastics:

MECHANICAL RECYCLING OF PLASTICS: 

FEEDSTOCK RECYCLING OF PLASTC:

Value Addition/Conversion of Plastics waste into Wealth:

Indian Experience of Value Addition in Plastics Recycling:

Successful Innovation of an Indian Company in Commingled Plastics Waste Recycling:

1. Unique process devloped to produce environmentally Wood substitute(Chipboard) for numerous furniture applications, pallets, interior decoration, doors, signages, etc.

Composition of the product:

1. Proprietary process developed by Indian

company using multi-layered paper waste

polyethylene polyethylene and and aluminum aluminum foil to produce wood substitute “Eco” products.

Properties of “Eco” Chipboard:

1. 100% termite and borer - resistant, denser than wood, maintenance free.

2. Excellent insulation and sound proofing quality & can be recycled

3. It can be painted, laminated, Polished like other wooden material.

4. It can be sawn, moulded-cut, glued screwed, etc. like other Wood based board.(high compression strength)

5. Thermoformable, Formaldehyde-free

6. Resistance to acids alkalies solvents and other chemicals.

7. Cost effective.

Regranulation of Mixed Waste

Output Capacity of 2000kg per hour

Stage 1: Shredded waste plastics are separated from metal and mineral impurities by magnetic and screen separation technique.

Stage 2: The Shredded Waste plastics are separated from Organic and Inorganic impurities.

Stage 3: The Shredded waste plastics of less than 1g/cm3 (PVC, PS, PET…) are separated and dried.

Stage4: Granulationby extruder with twin force

feeder and degassing unit.

Innovative Centrifugal technology for Separation of Waste

• Excellent separation of Plastics of different

density.

• Fine separation independent of size or form of the flake

• High throughput due to quick separation (300 - 5000 kg per hour).

• Low energy-consumption

• Low ground-noise.

• Trouble-free integration into all plastic recycling system.

Innovative Stationary NIR Spectrometer for Online Plastics Identification

• Recycling of household, engineering

electronics and automotive waste plastics

• Contact free and Non-destroying measurements

• Measuring time with few milliseconds

• Independent of surface, moisture and

contamination.

• 7 signal online-outputs for sorting machines

Innovative Free-flowing agglomerate from mixed plastics waste materials

Advantages at a glance

• Fully automatic non-stop operation

• Careful handling of plastics by processing below melting temperature

• User-friendly process monitoring through

touch-screen control and simple menu

guidance

• Versatile, dry, and free-flowing recycled material with a bulk density of up to 480kg/m3.

• Flexible use of recycled material as a result

of its excellent d bili dosability and storability

• Any thermoplastic sheeting and blisterpack

materials made of PE PP PA PET and PVC

can be processed

• Also Also suitable suitable for the compaction of foams, fibers, and flow-moulded plastics.